Understanding Alcohol Use and Recovery Across Adulthood
Official title: Lifespan Project
Funded at Suny Downstate Medical Center · NIH-11195699 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how genes, brain changes, and life circumstances affect drinking, recovery, and relapse in adults as they age.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Suny Downstate Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Brooklyn, United States) |
| Project start | September 29, 1989 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,582,050 |
| NIH project number | 5U10AA008401-37 |
| Project ID | NIH-11195699 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults, especially those age 40 and older with a personal or family history of Alcohol Use Disorder who can provide health information and biospecimens, are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without any history of problematic drinking, minors, or those unable to provide consent or biological samples are unlikely to receive direct benefit from participation.
What this research studies
You would be part of a long-term family-based project that follows thousands of people with and without alcohol problems, collecting interviews about drinking and health, brain and thinking tests, and blood or DNA samples. The project combines clinical, behavioral, neurophysiological, neuropsychological, and social-environment information from over 12,000 family members to track how Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and recovery change over time. Researchers are adding new multi-domain data focused on people aged 40 and older to learn about late-life risks like cognitive decline and health consequences. The goal is to use these repeated measures and genetic data to understand who is at risk for relapse or poor outcomes and why.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify who is most at risk for relapse or late-life harms and guide more personalized prevention and treatment strategies.
How similar studies have gone: Previous COGA findings and other family-based genetic studies have identified genetic links and brain markers related to alcohol problems, though turning those discoveries into new treatments is still ongoing.
Where this research is happening
-
Suny Downstate Medical Center
Brooklyn, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Salvatore, Jessica E — Suny Downstate Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Salvatore, Jessica E
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.